


to the ship

by lilsun



Series: pledged [1]
Category: GOT7, Stray Kids (Band), TWICE (Band), fromis_9 (Band)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Lee Minho | Lee Know & Yang Jeongin | I.N are Siblings, Lee Minho | Lee Know is a Sweetheart, M/M, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, a bit of angst, baek jihoon is babie, chris is kind of an idiot, don't worry he doesn't stay dead i promise, first chapter is not beta'd this is not the height of my work, he doesn't stay dead, if you skip the first chapter bc of the suicide it's ok, inspired by jarofactonbell, lilsun, lilsun pirate au, minho is done with chris, relationships implied but not set in this work, special needs!jeongin, thank you for reading
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21958954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilsun/pseuds/lilsun
Summary: Chris would always remember Seungmin.
Series: pledged [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1580809
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	to the ship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris would always remember Seungmin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning: suicide attempt at the very end of this chapter

_Captain's Log, November 19, 2019._

Chris would remember years later how Seungmin arrived. He would remember the fog, the uncomfortable air. He would recall how the day started, and how it continued despite any hesitation in time. He would shudder at how although they were moving, it seemed as though they and the world around them stayed ever so constant, how the water parting around their ship seemed almost stagnant. He would reminisce how the day seemed otherwise unassuming at first from atop his careful position on the bowsprit, balancing ever so carefully as he peered out into the fog. It was impossible to see, as his crewmate Minho had told him many times; Chris could feel Minho's judging gaze watching his every move from his safer position on deck.

"Have you seen all that you can see, captain?"

Chris turned to face his crewmate, telescope fastened at his side. Minho was closer than he'd originally thought, giving Chris a clear view of his twinkling eyes, bemused in a way only Minho could master. "Nearly, Lee. Is there something you needed?"

"Captain, I'm mostly here so that you do not fall overboard." Minho shifted his weight, already bored of Chris's antics. "Although, if you had, I'm not sure what I could have done."

Chris sighed and rubbed his temple. "Any sign of the fog clearing up?"

"Jeongyeon noona is keeping an eye on the weather, but it's not likely, sir."

"And the land?"

"Impossible to know, captain. The maps say that we should be nearing Circe in two days' time, but with this fog, who could know? We can only hope we're travelling the right path."

 _The path to_ _Circe_ , a place where hopefully the crew could stop for supplies and rest. Although the tales of Circle Island weren't as optimistic, Chris remained stubbornly persistent. They _needed_ rest, all of them did; Chris could see it in their eyes and the unconscious dragging of feet. Of course, the most telling of signs was Jeongin, a boy whose natural state is to stay consistent, so obviously missing from those on deck. The warning placed itself on the back of Chris's head like a scar, sending him stumbling forward. Minho caught him just in time -- _taller_ , Chris thinks, _than I am._

Minho cleared his throat, lifting Chris to his feet on the deck. "Chris, are you sure about this? Circe Island is dangerous, the _spirit_ of the island is dangerous. We can find supplies elsewhere if we -"

"We're doing it." Chris straightens once again, brushing off imaginary dirt from his jacket. "Tell Nayeon and Dahyun to steady the course. We're looting the island of Circe."

Minho's eye twitched, but he bowed and quickly walked away. The fog surrounding the ship swallowed him as soon as he left.

\--

> _First-deck Log, November 19, 2019._
> 
> Our captain is an idiot.

\--

Chris found himself in the communication portal, facing walls upon walls of tiny screens. They flickered to life as he drew closer to them, all displaying different dates and times from all around the world. The corridors of the ship were filtered through low-quality cameras that displayed their scenes on his left, eyes and ears into navigational systems and hallways. The communication portal was where Chris spent most of his time, with a cot underneath the sound system for the few times he slept. Few visited the communication portal; it was a safe place for Chris and a well-understood unspoken rule not to accompany him unless it was urgent.

Of course, not one to understand unspoken rules, Jeongin was his most frequent visitor.

"Captain?" Jeongin rubbed his eyes and crawled out from underneath the cot. "Sorry, I was instructed to -"

"Relax, kid." Chris allowed himself an easy smile, knowing it would relax the younger. "Don't worry. I enjoy your company."

Those were words he repeated nearly every day, one of the routines he knew kept Jeongin steady; but every day the smile Jeongin returned to him was a bit brighter, more affirming. Chris crossed to the main communication panel, knowing Jeongin would be watching his every move.

"I think there might be something wrong with this panel," Chris mused, knowing it would peak the other's attention. Sure enough, Jeongin was by his side almost immediately, peering at the bits of wiring he could see. "Do you think so, Jeongin?"

"Oh, uh -" Jeongin began bending his nails. "I don't -"

"It's okay," Chris said immediately. "I'm not sure either. Let's find out together, okay?"

With a reassuring smile, Chris slowly unlocked the panel and lifted it out of the way. The problem was obvious to him, nearly glaring, but he stepped aside. Jeongin easily took the bait, leaning forward as he almost comedically inspects every piece of machinery.

"I - I think this - this gear is a bit lose? And Baekji and Minho got disconnected somehow... maybe the gear has something to do with it?"

"Perhaps," Chris nodded slowly. "Why don't you try fixing the gear and seeing what happens?"

Jeongin pulled a screwdriver out of his pocket and began fiddling with the gadget, clumsy and excited and careful. He's grown a little thinner, Chris noted, perhaps too thin for his age -- but then, hadn't they all? The crew had been at sea for nearly a week, and without the proper supplies, they'd all lost a little weight.

Not that he didn't have other, selfish reasons for going to Circe...

"I fixed it!" Jeongin pulled Chris out of his thoughts with a triumphant cheer. "They've connected again!"

"I appreciate your ingenuity." Chris offered Jeongin another smile, one he hoped would convey his sincerity. "I'm glad to see that you're feeling -"

A phone buzzes on the wall, cutting Chris off.

"Feeling well," Chris finished, crossing over to the other wall and picking up his phone. "What are your thoughts on going to Circe?"

> **minho:** captain, we've missed several cues to mark our place on the map.
> 
> **minho** : I don't mean that we've forgotten them, I mean that they're not here. we've missed enough for Momo to worry about it.
> 
> **minho** : we haven't passed them or struck them at all. they're not here.

"I don't know if it's a good idea," Jeongin told him. "Just -- I don't think so."

"Really?" Chris mused a bit, bringing up his hand to scratch the back of his head. "Are you able to elaborate?"

"I mean, maps are usually able to approximate Circe's location, right? But each sailor says that it's different. Even the same sailors find it in different places sometimes."

Chris stilled. "Really?"

"Circe Island originated before the Border treaties, right?"

"...Right."

Jeongin shrugged. "So Circe Island operates completely outside of our laws. Of course, the treaties are _supposed_ to apply to everyone, but it's not like all humans follow them, right?"

"So neither would Circe," Chris realised.

"Yeah, exactly. That's why I don't think it's a good idea."

Chris's eyes widened. "Circe Island comes to different sailors in different places."

> **minho:** captain?

"I guess so," Jeongin shrugged.

Chris found himself moving on his own to the sound system, his fingers flicked switches and adjusting levers before he could fully catch up. He leaned forward into the microphone, pouring urgency into every word.

_"Navigation, redirect course! All hands beyond navigation below deck. I repeat, all hands beyond -"_

The ship lurched forward.

Minho slid in through the doorway, sweaty and out of breath. "Captain, what's happening?"

"Circe Island operates outside of treaty laws," Chris rattled off, continuing to flick switches at an alarming rate. "She appears to those she wants to; they don't go to her, she goes to them. Circe is outside of treaty laws and actively seeks out humans. Do you get it?"

The ship leaned violently to the left, causing an already-winded Minho to crash into Jeongin. "Ow! No, I don't!"

"All I understand is that the captain finally realised that going to Circe is a bad idea," Minho drawled, picking himself off of the floor. "And as far as I know, he's trying to get us out of here as soon as possible."

They all slammed into the back of the room as the ship turned, having the air of a sudden U-turn. The unmistakable sound of land scraping the hull caused Jeongin to immediately break into a meltdown, one that Chris slowly backed away from. He felt guilty for leaving Minho to take care of Jeongin, but the feeling didn't last long. He exited the room to look at the island they had barely saved themselves from colliding with, peering through the fog. All he could see was two large, red eyes staring back at him.

The ship's engine revved similarly to a motorcycle -- (was that supposed to happen? Chris should check the engine later) -- and they sped away, leaving the island a mere speck behind them.

Chris's legs barely held him up as he returned to the sound system, again flicking switches. "Hi, this is your captain speaking. We are no longer going to Circe. Navigation is rerouting us as I speak. Repeating, we are no longer going to Circe."

A voice filtered back at him through the system, the sarcasm identifying it as Dahyun. "You're an idiot, captain."

"We know," Minho replied, causing Chris to jump. He had forgotten that the other boy had been in the portal, comforting his younger brother. "He's learned, though. Hopefully."

"I have," Chris assured them. "No more seeking out magical islands."

"Wonderful," came Momo's voice accompanied by static, "because we're approaching approximately nothing for a very long time."

Nayeon sighed. "You don't mean to say that we're backtracking?"

"I can hear you rolling your eyes," Momo retorted. "And yes, we are, unless you want to go bargain with the rogue spirit of a Border island."

"I'd rather not," Dahyun interjected. "Nayeon, you're being insufferable. Go eat a Snickers and hold my hand."

The navigation's intercom beeped, and Chris was greeted with static. He turned their channel down, mildly disturbed.

"Minho, would you like to -"

"Go make sure they're doing their jobs? Yeah, absolutely." Minho pulled Jeongin with him out of the room, whispering something about privacy. Chris was left alone.

"Hey, captain?" Minho poked his head back into the room.

"Yeah?"

"You're forgiven, so stop thinking so goddamned loud and check on the engine."

Chris chuckled. "Yes, sir."

"And stretch, for heaven's sake. If your shoulders got any stiffer you'd turn into a marble statue."

"Thanks, Minho."

"Yeah, you're welcome." Minho gave him a small smile. "Try listening to me sometimes, yeah?"

Minho was gone before Chris could reply.

Chris would remember, years later, how the sun never seemed to set on that day. How they travelled on and on, the sun scorching their backs and their sails; how Jeongyeon's hourly weather reports remained stubbornly the same; how there seemed to be more than 24 hours that day. He would remember how he wished he'd never gone to Circe at all, for he'd only delayed the ship and her crew the supplies they needed for longer than necessary. He would remember the late nights he spent laying awake knowing what would have happened if he had listened.

"Cliffs!" Momo yelled through the sound system, the noise jarring Chris awake. "We have some large cliffs ahead, guys!"

"Copy!" Chris turned on the ship-wide intercom, leading over the sound system once more. "Rise and shine, people, we've got cliffs and you know what that means."

"I don't," came Minho's reply through his channel. "Captain, what does that mean?"

Chris narrowed his eyes at Minho's figure through the cameras and turned off the ship's intercom. "It means that it's time to get off your ass and make sure the ship doesn't get impaled by falling rocks, smartass!"

"Alright, alright." Minho raised his hands in mock surrender, speed-walking out of the camera's view. Chris crossed his arms and paced, nearly missing the timid knock on the door.

"Captain? Captain? Mr. Chris?"

His head snapped up, his tone a bit harsher than intended. "Who is it?"

"S-sorry, it's Baekji. I have something to r-report."

He took a deep breath, allowing his arms to fall to his sides. "Come in, kiddo. What's up?"

The girl opened the door, ponytails draped behind her like an anime character. She bowed, her arms shaking a bit. "Hi, Mr. Chris."

"What's up?" He repeated.

She shifted her weight. "Something's happening, Mr. Chris. I don't know what. I'm sorry." She turned to run away, but Chris reached out and stopped her with a gentle tap.

"What do you think is happening?" He coaxed.

"Something." She shrugged, turning to face him again. Her eyes were firmly fixed to the floor. "Something with the cliffs."

Chris allowed himself a deep inhale. "Is it something good or bad?"

She looked up at him, her eyes clear and void of reflected light. "I don't know, Mr. Chris. I don't know."

From the deck, somebody screamed. Dahyun's intercom crackled to life.

"Captain, are you seeing this?"

"Forward steam!" Nayeon ordered. "Oh, gods..."

"Look away, Jeongin!" Minho's voice seemed far away, even with the intercom. "Jeongin, look away!"

"I don't want to, I can't!"

"Jeongin, please!"

"Forward steam!"

Someone screamed again, and this time Chris was able to recognise it as Momo. "Oh my gods, we're not going to make it!"

Chris pushed past Baekji and ran down the stairs to the main deck as fast as he possibly could, but once he arrived he could barely make sense of what was happening. Nothing seemed to be falling from the cliffs and there was no one attacking them, so why was his whole crew running around in chaos?

Chris didn't see him until it was too late.

He didn't see the tiny body falling towards them until it was too late.

Until his broken body hit the deck in front of Chris's feet.

Until his lifeless eyes stared into Chris's own.


End file.
